


Catalyst

by keepleaves



Category: Free!
Genre: Angst, Canon Divergence, Confessions, Jealous Nanase Haruka, Kisumi fans be warned, M/M, Middle School AU, More like teenage angst but whatever, Oblivious Tachibana Makoto, Possessive Nanase Haruka, low key fighting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-29
Updated: 2016-05-03
Packaged: 2018-05-29 19:41:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6390637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keepleaves/pseuds/keepleaves
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><br/>Sousuke and Rin aren’t the only ones Kisumi manipulated while he was in middle school. Or, the five times Haru wanted Kisumi to fuck off, and the one time he actually did.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here, have some High☆Speed!: Free! Starting Days MakoHaru because I'm straining myself in the wait for the subbed movie (I've barely read the book ahaha). Despite the swearing in the summary, I promise that this work is G rated. There isn't anything worse than that, in terms of language.
> 
> To my three betas, who let me cry and panic a lot more than I needed to.

Haru likes to think that he's a very calm, collected person.

He's Nanase Haruka, a third year at Iwatobi High School. There are things he's good at. He's the fastest person on his swim team, he only swims freestyle, he loves the water. His best friend's name is Tachibana Makoto, who he's known for his whole life, also on the swim team with him. He has other friends, Rei and Rin and Nagisa and Gou, but Makoto is the most important.

There are also things Haru is bad at. He keeps things bottled up, he has a hard time expressing himself, he doesn't like to talking people. He's got a list of people he doesn't like, like Kisumi. There are others he doesn't like, like Sousuke, but Kisumi has proven himself to be the biggest threat.

So when Makoto brings up Kisumi one day after their swim practice, Haru feels like his head is going to explode.

"Hey...do you remember your old classmate from middle school, Kisumi Shigino?" Makoto asks, carefully. "His younger brother is in the class I'm teaching, so I saw him yesterday for the first time in a while."

"Whatever." Haru closes his eyes, taking a deep breath and turning around to walk back into the locker room. He never wants to think about Kisumi and Makoto again. Not after the incident.

Makoto stops him before he reaches the door. "Well, if you have time on Sunday, you should come by too, Haru."

Haru looks up at him sharply, and Makoto looks back at him, baffled at the sudden change in attitude. "What?"

"Only if I have time."

Haru, of course, always has time for Makoto.

"Haru! You came!" Makoto runs towards him, still in his regular clothes, and Haru is pleased he's managed to correctly memorize Sunday's lesson schedule.

"You forgot your lunch. Your mom asked me to bring it to you," he says, holding out the wrapped box.

"Oh, that's right, thank you!" Makoto takes it from him gratefully. They stand in an awkward silence for a moment, both knowing that Haru has more of a reason to visit than dropping off his food. "You know..." Makoto hesitates, like he's not sure whether he wants to mention it right now or not, "We haven't really started yet. So Kisumi isn't here. He's not really here while I do lessons."

"Whatever." They’ve known each other for so long. It doesn’t surprise him that Makoto can read his mind and say exactly what he needs to hear to put him at ease. Even as Haru's face remains unchanged, he already feels more relaxed. It's been a while since he's felt the urge to keep an eye on Makoto while he attends to his own hobbies; a feeling he wasn't keen on becoming familiar with again. Growing up had made him realize how stupid he had been in middle school.

"He'll be here later." Makoto gives him a significant look. "Later. To pick up his brother."

"Whatever," Haru repeats. It’s probably one of the only times he dislikes being so transparent to Makoto. He'll have to make sure he gets there before Kisumi does, then.

But he doesn't. By the time Haru comes back to the aquatic center, he sees a familiar shade of pink hair sitting next to someone with an equally familiar shade of brown hair, their backs towards him. _No. No no no no no no._ Why are they smiling at each other? What are they talking about? Why are they sitting so close together? Haru keeps his face as neutral as possible as he walks up behind him, doing his best to stay quiet. Eavesdropping isn't his favorite activity, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

"Ah, Haru!"

Damn, spotted. Why did Makoto have to say anything? Even worse, Kisumi has turned around and is running towards him.

"Wow, it's been so long!" Kisumi is leaning in too close, touching him and slinging an arm around Haru's neck. "This brings back memories of middle school, doesn't it?"

* * *

"Nanase-kun!”

It was an unfamiliar voice that called his name, but it was one he would recognize five years later out of spite. Haru turned around out of reflex. There was a boy running towards him with a bright smile that he can barely recognize— though the hair color seemed like it should stand out quite a bit. Haru blinked, trying to place where he had seen the same shade of faded bubble gum pink before.

"Sorry about that, just now. For not passing."

Haru remembered now. It was the boy who sat behind him in his class, the one who talked too much. At least he had played well in their P.E. class just now. Granted, they were playing basketball, and Kisumi was an active member of the basketball club, so Haru had to give him credit for a game well played.

"It's fine," Haru shrugged. Even if he excelled in basketball, he couldn't muster up any real attachment to the sport.

"That was a great shot, though!" Haru's unenthusiastic response didn't deter Kisumi at all. "Hey, would you consider joining the basketball club?"

"He's not joining." Asahi, his other classmate, responded for him, and Haru was grateful for the interruption. "Both Nanase and I are both busy. We're joining swim club. Isn't that right, Nanase?"

Haru just shrugged again. How busy he was didn't matter. If joining a club meant cutting into his swimming time, then he flat out refused to do it.

"It was fun though, wasn't it? Asahi, you were awesome, you got the most rebounds—" Kisumi started.

"Hey." Asahi cut him off. He already looked annoyed by Kisumi's rudeness, and Haru couldn't help but privately agree. "I did, but why are you talking to me like we're friends? This is the first time we've talked."

It was Kisumi's turn to shrug. "It's not a big deal, is it? Oh, but that tall kid from the other class just now, what's his name? The one who blocked all of Nanase-kun's shots?"

Haru could tell that Kisumi's was trying to keep his tone nonchalant, and he already felt his anger flaring up at the deceptive question. Struggling to keep his face neutral, he managed to choke out, "Tachibana Makoto." Contradictory to his stony demeanor, Haru felt his voice waver a little, and he cringed at how obviously unhappy he was about giving out such simple information. Kisumi's presence itself felt like a breach of his privacy.

"So his name's Makoto? He called you 'Haru', didn't he?" asked Kisumi.

_Don't call him 'Makoto'. You don't even know him. Quit being so familiar with everyone._ Haru bit down the words to keep them from escaping his mouth, and settled for a simple nod instead.

"So, you're friends?" Haru thought it was impossible, but Kisumi seemed to brighten up even more. “I suppose I'll see him around then? Since you both know each other?"    

_Not if I have anything to say about it._ Haru didn't respond, quickly turning to head back into the changing rooms. The thought had caught him off guard, and all at once he felt a renewed rush of anger towards Kisumi and embarrassment that he couldn’t place. If the mere thought of Kisumi meeting Makoto was getting him this riled up, then he was just going to have to make his own life easier and make sure it would never happen.

* * *

At 4:00PM, his plan promptly failed.

The whole time they had been sitting in class, Haru felt Kisumi's eyes on him. It only got worse as the day continued, and by the time school was over, the clash of Kisumi's excitement with his own angry tension had worn Haru down. He hadn't moved as they had been dismissed, determinedly not turning around to confront the pink haired boy. He packed up his bag with slow, deliberate movements, taking as long as possible so he could have time to formulate a plan. He could pretend like he was going to the bathroom. He could act like he was meeting with the teacher. He could spend some time at the pool. If he was lucky, Makoto would leave without him—

"Haru-chan! Are you ready to go?"

Dammit. Of _course_ Makoto wouldn't leave without checking on him first. Stupid, sweet Makoto _would_ be waiting for him at his classroom door, early as ever, effectively ruining any hope he had of keeping Kisumi away from his best friend.

"Stop it with the -chan," he monotoned automatically, gathering up the last of this things and hurriedly walking out of the classroom. To his utter dismay, Kisumi was hot on his heels. In a last ditch effort, Haru pressed himself next to Makoto, leaving no room between their arms.

"Haru! Wait up!" Kisumi ran up behind him, and Haru was already tugging on Makoto's sleeve to stop him from turning around.

"Ah, Haru, I think your friend—"

"Not my friend," Haru cut Makoto off, still trying to urge him forward. "Let's go, already."

"Guys! Wait!" Kisumi had caught up. Makoto, ever polite, turned to face him with a gentle smile on his face.

"Hello, nice to meet you, my name is Tachibana Makoto—"

"I know." Kisumi's eyes shined, giving Haru a sidelong glance. "You're Nanase's friend. My name is Shigino Kisumi. We played basketball today together." Haru didn't like the way Kisumi was smiling at him. It didn't match the kindness that Makoto's smile had. It seemed competitive— predatory, almost.

"Ah, I remember now!" Makoto's smile grew wider, and Haru started quietly reciting every swear word he knew. Curse his good-looking friend and his ability to make friends so easily. "I didn't know you were in the same class as Haru."

"I am." Kisumi smiled. "I couldn't help but notice, you played really well!" No, Kisumi was _absolutely not_ giving Makoto an up-down scan. Haru immediately tried to step forward to shield Makoto's body away from prying eyes, but Kisumi was quicker. He had already placed one hand on Makoto's shoulder, and the other one on top of Makoto's head. He was tiptoeing to look Makoto so that they were both at eye level, their noses practically touching. "You're so tall!" Kisumi continued gleefully. Haru couldn't be bothered to keep a straight face anymore. If looks could kill, Kisumi would have had a beautiful eulogy and service this _morning_.

"Thank...you?" Haru could tell Makoto was caught off guard. "I mean, it's not really because anything I did in particular..."

"Yes, I understand." Kisumi finally let go. "Though, really? Tall, athletic, handsome? That's not fair for the rest of us. You must be popular." The words were directed at Makoto, but Kisumi's gaze was on Haru.

"Maybe not," Makoto nervously laughed. "Er, we're running a little late—" Thank God. Haru didn't remember if they actually had anything to do, but any excuse to get away was good enough for him.

"I suppose I should let you two walk home, then." Finally, Kisumi started to walk backwards, waving at the two of them. "See you tomorrow! Nice to meet you, Makoto!" Haru ignored the gesture, but the taller boy next to him waved back.

"He seems nice," Makoto said as he nudged Haru. "Maybe you guys could be friends."

Haru didn't say anything for the rest of their walk home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, remember that AU I told everyone I was gonna write? I lied, I wrote this in the middle of writing everything else. IMO, this is really different than my last fic (If) in terms of style and it doesn't feel as "pretty", but I had a lot more fun writing this one.  
> About updates: The way I write my fics are that they're done by the time I get around to posting chapter 1. My anal retentiveness makes me comb over every chapter and make sure they're ALL PERFECT before I post them, so updates will come pretty frequently.
> 
> Man, episode 8 of F!ES is my favorite. I wanted something where Makoto is completely clueless, but Haru and Kisumi are competing for his attention. I couldn't find anything like that, so that's how this came to life. It came out much more differently than I intended, but I hope people can enjoy it either way. I understand when writers say "This was supposed to be a one-shot but turned into a monster" now.
> 
> As always, any thoughts, comments, mistakes that you caught are completely appreciated. Reach me at keepleaves.tumblr.com if you want to chat.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   
>  I'm so done fighting with this HTML, you guys.  
> 

Haru's silence didn't improve the next day. The walk to school with Makoto had been unusually quiet, even though he knew deep down Makoto hadn't done anything to deserve it. Stepping through the doors of his classroom, his glance flickered over to the seat behind him. There was already someone there. Kisumi had looked up when the door opened, squarely meeting Haru's stare. He was prepared, sitting sideways to face the door, and when their eyes met, a grin spread across his face. _It's like he's just been plotting to ruin my day_ , Haru thought. Opting to ignore him, Haru sat down in front of Kisumi, pulling out his homework. He almost never reviewed his work before he turned it in, but it seemed like an excellent day to start.

"Hey, Haru, don't be like that~" They were already skipping pleasantries and greetings, Haru noted. Kisumi's taunting was easy to ignore, but the physical touch on his shoulder was not. Haru jumped, a sharp intake of breath accompanying it. Without taking his eyes off his desk, he swatted Kisumi's hand away. "Look, I brought some food today, okay? I have extra for you, so please, eat with me?" Kisumi actually sounded sincere this time.

"No." Haru kept his response as minimal as possible.

"You didn't even let me finish!" Kisumi's voice had a note of amusement in it. "I brought mackerel today! It's leftover from my dinner last night.

There is a long silence before Haru stiffly turned around. "I will _think_ about it," he said. It was the most diplomatic response he could come up with. He wasn't lying. As reluctant as he was to accept the invitation, he appreciated mackerel enough to set their differences aside.

In the end, his love for mackerel overcame his distaste for Kisumi.

"Say 'ahh~'" Kisumi extended his fork out, offering some out for Haru, who leaned forward to accept. He chewed slowly, searching for any reason to criticize the other boy's food.

"Did you make it?" Dammit. There was no reason to complain; the food was delicious, but Haru wasn't about to admit that.

"Sort of. I helped." Kisumi didn't offer up any other explanation, but instead leaned forward, and Haru jerked back in reflex. "So, about your friend, what was his name— Makoto?" There it was _again_ , that stupid, casual tone that Haru knew wasn't sincere this time. Kisumi, unsurprisingly, was grinning again. Haru didn't say anything, only turning around in his seat so all that Kisumi could see was his back. "Hey, I just fed you some of my lunch, don't you think you could at least answer my question?"

 _Count to ten before you speak_ , Haru told himself. He took five deep breaths out of his nose before barely turning his neck to acknowledge at Kisumi. "What _about_ him?"

"Oh, nothing." Kisumi drew out his syllables, sounding like a lazy cat stretching. "I was just wondering if you guys were good friends. Since you know, he wasn’t even around when Asahi was standing up for you. So are you sure you guys are...you know—"

"Yes, we're good friends." Haru felt the last of his patience disappear. Something about Kisumi's tone had set him off. "What else do you want to know? He has two younger siblings, Ran and Ren, and they're twins. He likes cats, but he's good with animals in general. His worst subject is English, his best subject is literature, and he's an awful artist. He's too nice to everybody, and makes friends quickly. He gets scared easily, so anything related to ghosts is out of the question." Haru was out of breath from talking so much all at once, trying to prove to this nuisance in front of him he knew everything, and that absolutely nobody was going to dethrone him as Haru-chan, best friend of Makoto Tachibana. "Did I miss anything?" he exhaled through clenched teeth.

"Yes." Kisumi looked like he was about to burst out laughing, and Haru stared, offended. "His shoe size."

" _What?_ "

"I just noticed he's very tall. And if he's tall, his shoe size must be big, right? And so is his— well, that's not important. My point is that if he's tall, he's probably good at basketball. Would he be interested in joining the basketball team?" Kisumi was definitely laughing now.

"Ask him yourself." _Shit_. His impulse response hadn’t been filtered through his brain properly. He’s basically handed Kisumi a reason to talk to Makoto on a silver platter. Panicking, he tried desperately to backpedal. "Actually, I'll ask—"

"No, I can ask him. It's better as a club founder to do recruitment personally, isn't it?" The excited glint was back in Kisumi's eyes, but Haru knew it did not bode well for him. "Where is he?"

How the hell had he been tricked into giving out so much about Makoto so quickly? And he had given Kisumi his blessing to talk to Makoto face to face to boot. Haru didn't say anything, but the nagging obligation of being polite was too much for him to ignore. "He's in class 2," he responded, quietly, "Next door."

"Well, thanks for all the information, Haru," Kisumi looked pleased, spearing more fish onto his fork and holding it up. "More mackerel?" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, this chapter is unexpectedly short. I'm glancing over my drafts and it looks like the next chapter is short too, so it should be up relatively soon. If you were reading this and it got deleted somewhere in between...my bad. AO3 isn't very friendly for drafts and updating with the correct date. I've also had to update this like 4 times since then because I'm bad at end notes, apparently. 
> 
> Fun fact: I've skimmed through some of High☆Speed 2 and Haru is...unexpectedly talkative and mildly annoying. Which isn't unusual for a middle schooler (I would know, I used to teach 'em), so that's my excuse for his outbursts. Kisumi though, I got nothing other than "the end justifies the means", so wait for it. Originally, I was going to rewrite H☆S 2 and MakoHaru it, but...that proved to be super difficult, so I came up with a compromise by integrating scenes here and there from the book/show and then fit it in, ex: Haru's flashbacks where Kisumi is feeding him bacon wrapped asparagus (?) is now in this chapter as mackerel bribery.
> 
> As always, any thoughts, comments, mistakes that you caught are completely appreciated. Reach me at keepleaves.tumblr.com if you want to chat.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Archer fans holla @ me if you find the reference!

Haru didn't think it was possible, but the next day's lunch period went even more disastrously.

"Haru-chan!" Haru recognized the voice immediately, jerking his head up. It was too late. Makoto was already coming towards him, carrying two matching bento boxes. "My mom packed you a lunch today, too, so I thought we could eat together in your class." He completely forgot. Makoto had mentioned eating together today on the way to school, but Haru had been too distracted expecting Kisumi to ambush them again to realize what the implication of "lunch" meant. A quick glance at Kisumi told Haru that Makoto had already been seen, and Kisumi was already sitting up straighter, hand held up in a small wave.

"Hey, Makoto!"

"Drop the -chan," Haru said, a little too loudly, trying to cover up whatever the hell Kisumi was trying to say. He immediately stood up, intending to meet Makoto halfway across the classroom. He didn't need Kisumi coming up with any weird nicknames. He would only be accepting those from Makoto, thank you. "Hey, let's not eat here today, let's go to your classroo—"

"You should stay here! We have plenty of seats!" Shit. Why the hell was Kisumi so loud? Makoto was looking over his shoulder to Kisumi, who was waving them over. Haru cast a pleading glance over to Makoto, desperate for them to leave and go somewhere else. Makoto frowned, and Haru knew he was too polite to decline an invitation from someone they had just met.

"I guess we'll eat here today," Makoto said, his expression changing into a smile. Kisumi stood up and pulled the desk next to his over to make a two-person table, an action not lost on Haru. Quickly, he turned his desk around, so that the three of them were all sitting together. He wasn't going to be walled off again. Makoto set Haru's wrapped lunch on his desk before setting his own down, and Kisumi looked between them, amazed.

"Wow, Makoto, what a great service! I wish someone could bring me lunch, too!"

"Ah, yeah, sometimes my mom makes lunch for both of us, but sometimes Haru does. It's been a while though, hasn't it?" Makoto was trying to bridge the awkwardness that was emanating from the whole situation. Damn him for being such a good person.

"Wow, Haru, won't you make me lunch next time, then? One for me, one for you, and one for Makoto!"

Haru didn't even bother to look up from his lunch he was unboxing. "I can't."

"Can't? Or won't?" cajoled Kisumi. He was obviously riding on the coattails of Makoto's friendly tone.

Haru made sure to look Kisumi dead in the eye when he responded. "Either. Pick one."

" _Haru!_ " Makoto sounded absolutely scandalized.

"No, no, it's okay!" Kisumi dismissed it with the wave of his hand. "It's just how we talk to each other, right, Haru?"

"Yeah." Haru tried to squash the wave of shame that came over him. That was rude, and Makoto probably would admonish him later for it. Kisumi probably very well knew that he wasn't joking around, and it made him feel even worse that Kisumi was trying to cover for him so he wouldn't be embarrassed. He retreated into silence, letting Makoto and Kisumi talk, to his chagrin. He was caught between wanting to keep an eye on them and wanting to leave completely.

"Hey, Makoto, want to try some of my lunch?" That snapped Haru out of his daze. He finally noticed that Kisumi was holding his chopsticks out to Makoto, who happily took the bait and leaned forward to accept the bite of food. Kisumi grinned, and Makoto nodded his head.

"Wow, this is good!"

They finally both noticed the look on Haru's face.

"Haru? Are you okay?" While Makoto looked surprised, Kisumi was laughing.

"Huh? Don't look at me like you're going to kill me! Yesterday I did the same thing for you!"

"Haru let you _feed_ him?!" Makoto exclaimed, looking at Kisumi. Haru was glad all eyes were off him, because his face had begun to turn red. Why did he have to mention the feeding thing right now, in front of Makoto? His glare only intensified, but Makoto was busy watching Kisumi dramatically relay their interaction from yesterday, and neither of them noticed. Defeated, Haru sat back in his seat, eyes downcast. He wasn't hungry anymore. He could tell that Makoto was casting worried glances once in a while towards him, but he firmly ignored them.

"I should go back, lunch is ending soon...Haru?" He heard Makoto's voice, but Haru only nodded, still not looking at either of the boys sitting in front of him.

"Okay."

"See you after school?" Of course they would. They always walked home together. Makoto just happened to notice his sulking, and in his ever tactful way was making sure his best friend was okay.

"Yeah." He stood up to begin moving his desk back as Makoto walked out, but Kisumi didn't move from his seat. As soon as he sat down, Kisumi leaned forward.

"What a nice guy," Kisumi said. "No wonder you guys are friends. I can't wait to be friends with him, too!"

Haru turned his head sideways and didn’t say anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter is short! We're at the halfway point now, the next chapter has a lot more drama and action (well, as much as you can for a middle school fic).
> 
> As always, any thoughts, comments, mistakes that you caught are completely appreciated. Reach me at keepleaves.tumblr.com if you want to chat.


	4. Chapter 4

It had been a long week.

Haru was worn out. He had done the best he could to keep Makoto and Kisumi from crossing paths, and so far, it had been futile. They were becoming fast friends despite his efforts. Even if he had tried to subtly keep them all from eating lunch together, he was failing more often than he succeeded. Despite his efforts, it seemed like that was their regular routine now: Makoto would come over to Class 1, sit next to Kisumi, and Haru would turn his desk around to watch Kisumi like a hawk and not say very much, then Makoto would go back and Kisumi would have some weird question about him for Haru. The weekend had been a blessed reprieve, and Haru had more or less spent two days attached to Makoto's hip, grateful for the time alone.

But today, as they were slipping back into their schedule, Haru didn’t have the energy left to keep fighting it. Makoto was sitting next to Kisumi, and Haru was facing both of them. Kisumi was talking about something, Makoto was laughing, and Haru was hating his life. Never once in the time he and Makoto had known each other had he felt like there was a distance between them. But now, even sitting two feet away from Makoto, he felt oddly lonely. It was ridiculous, and he was angry.

"Wow, Kisumi, you're really popular..." Makoto commented between bites. "There's so many people looking over here..."

 _They're not looking at him. There is nothing remotely attractive about him. They're looking at you._ Haru felt like shaking Makoto and screaming. Normally, people looking at Makoto didn't bother him at all, but with the potential threat of Kisumi, it made him feel even more unsteady knowing that other people might have romantic intentions for his friend. Without thinking, he glanced up at Makoto. The other boy was getting much taller now, and his face was losing its baby face roundness. His voice was getting deeper, too, though Haru hadn't realized it until just now when he was trying to remember past days with his best friend. Yes, people would definitely have a reason to look at Makoto. If Haru was really being honest with himself, he was happy to look at Makoto the same way right _now_.

"Oh, they aren't looking at me," Kisumi responded. "They're probably looking at you." Haru's hand slipped, nearly dropping his chopsticks before he clumsily caught them in midair. There was no way they could be similar at all. Both of them being on the same page was unacceptable. Kisumi caught Haru's eye, grinning. "You're too good looking, it's natural for people to look at you. Don't you think so, Haru?"

Haru suddenly understood exactly why they had had the same thought.

"I guess."

"Hey, so, did you guys think about clubs yet?" Makoto said quickly, trying to change the subject. _Always so modest,_ Haru thought. "Haru and I were thinking about joining swim club, what about you, Kisumi?"

"Swim club? I'm no good in the water, so you guys probably wouldn't want me on the team..." Kisumi trailed off. "Actually, it would be fun to come watch you guys. Can I? I bet the view is nice." Kisumi's flirting was going right over Makoto's oblivious head, Haru was so sure.

"That would be fun! Come watch us any time! You can see Haru's amazing swimming, right, Haru?" Makoto said.

Haru didn't respond. He was too busy trying to figure out how to lure Kisumi into the pool to drown him in the deep end and make it look like an accident.

"Tachibana!" Some boy who Haru didn't recognize was at the door, interrupting his fantasizing. "Someone needs you back in the classroom!"

"I'll be there in a second!" Makoto sent them both an apologetic glance as he began to gather up his things. "I'll see you guys later!"

"Bye!"

"See you."

With Makoto gone, Kisumi and Haru were left alone. They stared at each other — Haru lost track of how long— until Kisumi smiled, trying to break the tension. Unnerved, Haru readjusted his desk and took out his notebook, trying to draw something to take his mind off of things. Behind him, he could hear a gaggle of girls crowding around Kisumi's desk.

"Kisumi, who was your friend?"

"Tachibana Makoto. He's in class 2." Haru cringed. Being friends with Makoto was indeed a bragging right, but he couldn't help but feel like Kisumi was abusing it. He shouldn’t have been saying Makoto's name at all. "Why, do you guys like him? Haru and I were just talking about how good looking he is..."

Haru's scribbling became more frantic, and he couldn't even recognize what he was drawing anymore. "Don't say anything" seemed to be his phrase since the whole fiasco had started, and that's what he was sticking with. Lost in his mantra, he stopped drawing.

"...He's very single," finished Kisumi.

There was a sharp crack from between his hands, and when Haru opened them in surprise, the two separate pieces of his pencil dropped down onto his desk. With a sickening lurch, it occurred to him that Kisumi was right. Makoto was single, but it wouldn't be difficult for him to find someone to date. There was already one obvious person who wanted to date him, and there were many more, judging by how many girls were prodding Kisumi for information. Haru blanched at the thought.

For the first time in a while, he wasn't looking forward to the walk home with Makoto.

* * *

And for the first time in a while, Makoto was late. Haru peeked into class 2. He spotted a few lingering students, but no Makoto in sight. There was an uneasiness gnawing in his stomach; he knew Makoto wouldn't have left without him. After deliberating for what seemed like forever, he decided to head walk home first. There had to be a good reason Makoto wasn't around. Maybe Makoto had an emergency at home. Maybe he had to talk to a teacher. Maybe he forgot to tell Haru about a meeting he had with someone else. _It didn’t matter_ , Haru thought, trying not to feel hurt. He made it as far as the school's entrance when he heard Makoto's voice behind him.

"Haru! Wait!" Haru almost cried with relief when he turned around. He refrained from immediately bombarding Makoto with questions, letting him catch his breath. "Hey, Haru, I know this is sudden, but...did you decide on a club?"

"I haven't thought about it." If it weren't for other current complications, he would have been fine with swimming club.

"...Well..." Makoto hesitated, "I was invited to join the basketball club, but what do you think?"

There it was. Kisumi had finally pulled the trigger and asked Makoto to join, instead of dancing around him like an idiot.

"Doesn't matter to me," he said, a little too briskly, trying to cover up his feelings on the whole situation.

"It's just that Kisumi— you know Kisumi, right?" Of course he did. "I was just talking to him right now, that's why I was late. He told me there aren't a lot of first years in the club, so he's worried that when we become third years, there won't be enough members." So Kisumi at least had the foresight to think ahead. “What should I do, Haru?”

“If you want to join, then do it.” Haru marveled at how calm he sounded. There was a steel note in his voice he was holding back.

“But you know I wouldn't be able to be at Swimming Club as much, right?”

“Do whichever one you want to do," Haru repeated, a little more icily this time.

“I don’t intend on quitting the Swimming Club. So that’s why I’m thinking of declining—” Makoto stopped there, trying to gauge Haru’s reaction. Haru understood. If Makoto hadn’t considered playing basketball at all, he wouldn’t have mentioned quitting swim club. He was trying to consider how Haru felt, too, and he felt a surge of gratitude towards his friend.

"You should try basketball."

“Really? Can I?” Makoto's eyes lit up.

Haru tried his best to manage a smile. "Really. Do what you want."

"Thank you, Haru! We have a meeting right now, so I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" Makoto was walking backwards towards the school. "Bye!"

"Bye."

Haru watched Makoto turn around and jog back. He knew Makoto wouldn't join if he asked him not to, but Haru wasn't that selfish. For someone as self-sacrificing as Makoto, Haru could swallow his opinion. It shouldn't matter what he thought. Makoto should be able to enjoy whatever club he wanted to be a part of. But there was a dull ache in his chest, one he had been dreading since the first day he met Kisumi. He had only started in swim club when he was five because Makoto had told him swimming was "meaningless without you". Now he had to do it alone. And it was all Kisumi's fault. If he hadn't tried so hard to play basketball against Makoto in the first place, Kisumi would have never noticed him, and none of this would have happened.

Consumed by his thoughts, he didn't notice the damn light pole in front of him, crashing into it head first with a loud bang.

 _Ow_.

That had hurt. Badly. He clutched his head, sniffling. In that instant, all the loneliness, pent-up anger, and the thought of his best friend leaving him alone was too much, and Haru let himself cry, feeling sorry for himself. _Stupid pole. Stupid Kisumi. Stupid Makoto._

"Haru!" He didn't turn around this time, feeling too miserable to face Makoto. "I heard this weird sound, and I turned around, and you were just standing here holding your head, and— are you crying?!" Makoto gently took his hands away from his face, and Haru didn't resist. "Oh, _Haru_ ," Makoto murmured gently, cradling Haru's face with his hands. His thumb brushed the tears away, and he reached up to move Haru's hair, making a sympathetic face at the small bump that Haru could feel developing. "It doesn't look bad," Makoto said, frowning. "But there's a bump, so..."

Haru peered up at Makoto through his blurry vision. He was suddenly feeling very aware of how close their faces were, and he was sure his odd breathing pattern didn't have anything to do with his crying. For just a moment, he and Makoto stood looking at each other.

Then Makoto leaned in, eyes closed, and Haru felt a tinge of panic and hysteria. What was Makoto trying to do? If he leaned his head up, their lips would meet halfway. They fit together perfectly. Haru could see that now. Haru had the sudden compulsion to grab Makoto’s collar and pull him down so they could kiss properly, but he couldn't move at all, his eyes transfixed on Makoto's face, coming closer and closer before he felt the gentle press of lips to his forehead.

Haru felt like crying again all over again.

"I'm walking you home." Makoto took his hand, pulling him.

"Wait— the club meeting—"

"Tomorrow," Makoto said, firmly. "I can talk to the adviser tomorrow if I’m just asking for club information. I want you to make sure you get home safe."

Maybe not everything was the worst.

* * *

Kisumi's eyes were on Haru's still red forehead when he walked into class the next day, and he howled with laughter, slapping his desk.

"Makoto told me about your accident this morning! I thought he was kidding; I didn't think it was that bad!!" he wheezed out between fits of chortling. "Haru, what the hell were you thinking?!"

Haru refused to dignify Kisumi with a response and sat down at his desk. Then a thought struck him, and he whipped around in his chair.

"Kisumi...have you ever hurt yourself in front of Makoto?"

"Huh? That's a really weird question. But...I don't think so." Kisumi looked surprised. It was unusual for Haru to willingly start a conversation. "Why?"

Because at the end of the day, Makoto had chosen him, and he was more important than some stupid basketball club meeting. Because Makoto hadn't let go of his hand the whole way home, fussing over him when they got back to his house. Because Makoto had kissed him, and even if it wasn't the kind he had been expecting, he felt lighter than he had in weeks. Because Haru knew nobody else, let alone Kisumi, would have gotten that kind of treatment from Makoto.

He couldn't hide the smirk on his face before he turned around.

"No reason."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have y’all seen Deadpool? There’s a quote from the movie that I think applies here: “Life is an endless series of train wrecks with only brief commercial-like breaks of happiness. This had been the ultimate commercial break. Which meant it was time to return to our regularly scheduled programming.” I bring this up because while writing this, I kept sending new chapters and ideas to my beta, and one of her comments was, “omg how much longer does Haru have to suffer?” The answer is a lot. Well, two more chapters to be exact. Like Deadpool, Haru will get his happy ending, albeit less tragically. The past two (?) months of his life have been a train wreck, this last portion was a commercial break, but we’re going back to our regularly scheduled programming next chapter. Which means there’s more angst to come!
> 
> (Side note: Did you guys know I post these while I'm on my lunch break at work?)
> 
> As always, any thoughts, comments, mistakes that you caught are completely appreciated. Reach me at keepleaves.tumblr.com if you want to chat. My sports team is getting hosed in the playoffs, so please cheer me up and come talk to me :(


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short, extra chapter today, because would it really be a jealous middle school fic if I didn’t include THAT scene?

It had been a while since Haru had walked to school alone.

On a regular day, Makoto was waiting for him at the bottom step in the morning. In the afternoon, Makoto split off to his right with a small wave and a smile. If they didn't walk to school together, it was because Makoto was sick. Even then, he would go to see Makoto in the morning and promise to bring back work. In the afternoon, he would stop by, drop off said homework, and then go straight home. Makoto was always the first he greeted the day with and the last person he said good bye to. Haru never minded the way they had always done things. It had been simply routine.

Except now.

Except now, over the past few days, he had been completely alone. Makoto got to school early to help Kisumi in the mornings with their stupid basketball club. His best friend was ever so slowly drifting away, and consequently, Haru's world had been shrinking.

He didn't like it one bit. 

And since Makoto was helping Kisumi with basketball club preparations in the morning, Kisumi, naturally, was later than usual to class. Haru was beginning to relish the time where he didn't have an annoying buzzing in his ear. It was a small blessing, but not nearly worth missing time with his best friend.

Kisumi skidded to a stop right before class started, cheeks flushed and breathing hard. Haru glanced at the doorway, then slid his eyes down to his desk. Kisumi didn't have to know that Haru was paying attention to his every move.

"Sorry I'm late,"Kisumi announced to nobody in particular. "I was with my friend _Makoto_ —"

He had to have known Haru was listening. Not only that, but Kisumi was using this information against him and his plan was backfiring fantastically. Haru could vaguely hear some girl's foolishly taking the bait and asking about Makoto, but that wasn't important. What was important right now was ignoring Kisumi for as long as possible.

He could hear the rustle of cloth as Kisumi slid into the seat behind him, adjusting his materials from his school bag. "You know, Haru," Kisumi said without preamble, leaning forward to speak quietly right into Haru's ear, "Makoto and I talk a lot when we're taking breaks. We're getting really close, you know?" Haru could tell that this was all a slow, deliberate build up. Imagining whatever Kisumi was going to say made him feel nauseous, and he felt too tightly wound to be in proper control of his emotions.

"I really do think he's my best friend."

_No._ The past few days of suppressing the thought of Makoto spending his mornings and afternoons with someone else was thrown into Haru's face, and he turned around so violently in his seat that he shoved his desk forward, banging the metal leg the process. Ignoring the blooming pain in his knee, he slammed his hands on Kisumi's desk, breathing hard. His mouth opened and there were a thousand angry words that had been building up for weeks ready to fly out until he saw Kisumi laughing.

"Wow! I knew I could get that reaction out of you, but I didn't think you would snap that fast!" At Kisumi's words, Haru's eyes widened and he looked around the room, finally noticing that people were staring and whispering. He let out a small gasp and took his hands off the desk, his rage rightfully redirecting inward.

"Why does it even matter to you?" Kisumi asked, hand on his chin thoughtfully. "You're not dating him, jeez. He's allowed to hang out with other people who aren't you, you know? The more the merrier. Besides, I never said I was his best friend, just that he was mine."

"You knew," Haru hissed out, his jaw clenched so tightly that he thought his teeth would turn into a fine powder. "You knew _exactly_ what you were saying. You said it like that on purpose."

"I did!" Kisumi responded, Haru had to resist the urge to slap the self-satisfied smirk right off his face. "My question still stands, though: why does it matter to you?"

Haru's first instinct was to deny that it mattered, but even he had to admit how much of a bold faced lie that was. His second instinct was to confront Kisumi about the constant baiting, but that accusation paired with his outburst wouldn't hold much weight. There was an ugly drop in his stomach when he thought about why it actually mattered, and Haru tried to convince himself it was just the absence of his friend. But the thought didn't feel completely satisfactory, and Haru still felt uncomfortably hollow. Abruptly, he got up to excuse himself, not noticing Kisumi watching him as he left the room. The only person Haru wanted to talk was Makoto, and that was impossible. Haru didn't even know why he was feeling uncomfortable in the first place to even begin putting it into words. And since Makoto wasn't available, he was headed to the next best thing: water. Ducking into the bathroom, Haru found it mercifully empty, and he walked straight to the sink to wash his face. He was surprised at how unusually cold the water was, until he looked up into the mirror and realized how flushed he was.

_There's nothing wrong. I'm fine. I can deal with this. I'm fine_. Haru repeated it to himself softly, focusing on his fading blush. It seemed like he was going to have to stop thinking about it entirely to keep it from getting to him.

Except he couldn't. The rest of the day was spent thinking about Makoto. It felt like forever since they had talked. He missed hearing Makoto's stories about the twins, or about something someone in his class did. Haru was pretty sure he would even be willing to listen to Makoto talk about Kisumi at this point if it meant they would have a proper conversation.

As they were dismissed from class, Haru stopped himself from automatically looking towards the door. Makoto was helping with basketball club today, so there would be nobody there waiting for him. Kisumi had shot out of class like a rocket as soon as the teacher let them pack up. _At least Makoto didn’t wait for Kisumi_ , he thought bitterly. But as he left, he caught sight of a very tall someone; a mess of light brown hair and a walk he could recognize anywhere.

"Mako—" Haru began to call out, but cut himself off as he realized Kisumi’s arm was casually slung over Makoto's shoulder. Neither of them seemed to notice him, and he stopped walking to watch them. As always, Makoto seemed cheerful and was animatedly talking to the boy next to him, and as always, Kisumi had no concept of personal space. Staring at the back of Makoto's head, Haru silently willed Makoto to turn around and look at him. Much to his surprise, Kisumi turned around. They looked at each other, neither boy looking away, until Kisumi stuck his tongue out at Haru. "He's with me right now, and not you. He's mine." Kisumi seemed to be teasing him, and Haru felt like he had missed a step going down the stairs. They walked through a set of doors, leaving him behind, and Haru was left alone with his thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damn Haru, you're cranky when you're mad. We're reaching the finish line here. One chapter to go! I'm working on the last chapter because I'm not 100% happy with the way it came out, so it might be two weeks until the next update instead of just one. 
> 
> As always, any thoughts, comments, mistakes that you caught are completely appreciated. Reach me at keepleaves.tumblr.com if you want to chat.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh god here we go guys.

If Haru were deaf, it would have been a beautiful day. The sun was shining, he had mackerel for lunch, there was swim practice, Makoto was next to him... 

But he wasn't, so his day had been terrible. Because while a large part of his day had been good, the presence of Shigino Kisumi intruding on his rooftop lunch plans with Makoto had ruined everything. His quiet pouting seemed to go unnoticed since Makoto had been too busy helping with basketball club, and Haru had resigned himself to being a third wheel for the time being. And now, because Makoto was too nice and polite to tell Kisumi to go away, he was dealing with listening to Kisumi's annoying voice instead of talking to Makoto himself.

"Haru, do you want some?" the annoying voice was talking to him, and Haru snapped out of his thoughts, looking up. Kisumi was holding out a red box filled with Pocky. Haru shook his head.

"Makoto?" Kisumi held the box out in offering to Makoto, and Haru didn't have to look up to know Makoto had taken one. Of course he had. He could never resist chocolate.

"Fanks!" Haru looked up anyway, and Makoto had been clutching the candy between his lips, digging around in his bag for something.

"Hey, Makoto!" Kisumi blurted out. He hadn't surprised Haru, who was used to these outbursts by now, but Makoto looked up, startled. "Don't eat that yet! Let's play a game!"

Makoto's eyes were still wide. "Whaf? Whaf gam?"

Haru felt his stomach lurch again, a feeling that was uncomfortably familiar by now, and he was too horror-struck to stop Kisumi from saying—

"The Pocky game! Here, let me show you!" And Kisumi leaned in, clutching Makoto's shoulders, bringing their faces closer.

Haru swears he felt time stop as everything clicked into place.

Haru realized why he'd been so irate lately.

Haru realized why the thought of Makoto spending time with someone other than him had been killing him.

Haru realized that absolutely nobody should be trying to kiss Tachibana Makoto, except himself, because Makoto was always going to be his, and there was no one on earth who was going to get in the way of that.

Haru lunged forward, shoving Kisumi out of the way, and came face to face with Makoto, who blinked with surprised. Reaching out, he pulled the Pocky out of Makoto's mouth with little resistance and threw it as far as he could behind him. Makoto's head turned to follow its trajectory, then snapped back to look at Haru. His lips were halfway forming some words that Haru didn't give him time to say; he was already grabbing Makoto by the shoulders and pulling him forward, jamming his lips against the other boy's.

There was a very poignant moment of silence out of sheer shock from both of his friends, but without fail, it was broken by Kisumi.

"Hey, um, Haru—"

Separating their mouths, Haru turned to glare at him.

"Kisumi," he growled out, relishing the word he's been wanting to say for weeks, " _Leave._ "

Kisumi threw his hands up with defeat, and quickly began packing up his stuff. "Okay, okay, I'm out of here! Makoto, I freaking told you so—" but Haru didn't hear the rest, already going back to kissing, tasting the faint bit of chocolate left on Makoto's lips. He swore he could hear Kisumi cackling like a mad man on the way down the stairs.

"Haru, wait—!" Makoto managed squeak out somewhere in between their kisses. Haru ignored him, leaning back in for another one, but Makoto held on to his shoulders, holding him back. "Haru! What are you doing? What is going on right now?"

"I'm kissing you. What's not to get?"

"Yes, but why?"

"Because I like you." There, he had said it. Haru willed himself to breathe to overcome the tension in his body. He had been hoping that Makoto would understand. Their telepathic link had failed him this time. Haru had been confident that his actions would have spoken louder than his words, but having to admit his feelings out loud suddenly made him feel very small and vulnerable.

"...Are you serious?" Makoto looked like he had been slapped, and Haru blinked at him, confused. "Is this a joke? Did you come up with a trick with Kisumi—"

"Don't talk about him right now!" Haru cut Makoto off, his annoyance creeping back. "These last few weeks, he's been flirting with you and you didn't even notice, and he's been dangling you in front of my face," He raised his voice into mock falsetto of Kisumi, " _'He's so handsome! He's so single! I can't wait until he's friends with me too, Haru!_ ’ I couldn't take it anymore! I like you, you shouldn't be around him, he's awful and he doesn't deserve you!"

There was another silence this time, much heavier than the one before. Makoto screwed up his face, covering it up with his hands.

"Oh, god, Haru, I'm so sorry..."

"Sorry for what?" Haru asked, panicking. His mind immediately filled in the end of the sentence in with things he couldn't bear to hear: _Makoto doesn’t like me like that, Makoto was already dating Kisumi, Makoto doesn’t want to be friends anymore..._

"He told me," Makoto moaned out between his fingers, and Haru felt his heart stop. Kisumi had confessed first, then, and he felt his fingers slip away from Makoto's shoulders, defeated. "He told me that he thought you liked me. I told him that was impossible, because we've been friends forever, and you never really showed much in the way of...having romantic feelings for anybody, but Kisumi told me he could tell, and to give him a few days to show me, but I told him to stop because I could tell it was bothering you, but..." he trailed off, uselessly. 

That was the complete opposite of what Haru had been expecting. "What?"

"You guys didn't come up with this because you wanted Kisumi to be right, right? I wouldn't put it past Kisumi to convince someone to kiss their friend and convince them that they liked them as a joke, he's very charismatic like that," Makoto continued.

"It's not a joke!" Haru said a little too loudly. Makoto winced at the volume of his voice. After weeks of being apart, Haru was desperate to try to fix their relationship. "I like you! I don't want you to be with anybody else except me! I want to do everything with you, I want you to be in swim club with me— Makoto, it actually hurts when I don't get to walk home with you every day! God, one day I saw you with him and he was hanging all over you, he actually turned around and stuck his tongue out at me and I thought I was going to lose my mind, because I was so _jealous_!" Haru knew that he sounded like a petulant child, but at the moment, he didn't care.

"I....I don't believe this." Makoto said, faintly. "You like me? You actually like me?"

"I've said it three times already! I like you! There, now it's four times! Just look at me," he pleaded, "You've always, always known what I wanted to say." Haru was beginning to feel lightheaded. Makoto had always been able to understand. There was no way that after all this time, this was the one time where he couldn't. _Don't fail me now._

They sat looking at each other for what felt like an eternity. Then, without speaking, Makoto leaned forward and kissed Haru. It was a chaste kiss, unlike when Haru had forced their faces together, and he was reminded of the day where Makoto had gently kissed him on the forehead. Haru felt a thrill of happiness with the memory. He understood now; Makoto had liked him even back then, too. How could he have been so stupid?

"I like you, too. I've liked you for a long time, now...” Makoto said, as though he could read Haru’s mind, and Haru couldn’t help but smile. They were in sync again. “I couldn't believe it when Kisumi was telling me about you. I never thought..." Makoto just shook his head. "I didn't believe him. He kept asking if we were together, and I kept telling him 'not like that'. I wanted to be, but I never told him that. I wasn't ever going to tell you. If you were happy, I would be happy, too. But since Kisumi and I were hanging out, you were acting so weird...I wanted to ask you! I’m sorry Haru, I’ve been a terrible friend; Kisumi told me not to say anything and said that he would take care of it—"

"Well, now you know why," Haru said tersely. He felt like he could have swam across the ocean and back. Makoto had always been his.

The bell rang, breaking the spell of their private moment. They both jumped and broke apart nervously, laughing.

"I guess we'll have to talk about this later. We do have a lot to talk about, huh?" Makoto asked him.

"I'll tell you everything. Only if you walk with me home." He couldn't resist teasing just a little bit. A few weeks’ worth of antagonizing pain seemed worth it, now. 

"Deal."

* * *

_Memories of middle school, huh? Kisumi, you still haven't changed...you still know exactly what you're doing..._

Haru moves Kisumi's arm off his shoulders, only to find Kisumi swinging on his other side, still touching him.

"Aw, don't get mad!" His muscle memory kicks in, and Haru willfully tunes Kisumi out, glancing at Makoto, who has already understood how annoyed he is. He gives Haru an apologetic smile that goes unnoticed by Kisumi.

"Makoto," says Haru, his face still expressionless, "It's time to go."

"You're so cold, Haru! We haven't seen each other in so long!" Kisumi still hasn't let go, and Haru doesn't bother shrugging him off.

"We'll see each other eventually." Haru's finding that he doesn't mind Kisumi's presence as much as he thought he would. Time did heal any ugly feelings he might have had. At the very least, he feels like he should forgive Kisumi. Without him, Haru isn’t sure that he would have realized his own feelings for Makoto. And if Makoto never planned to confess at all, then really, he owes the start of their relationship to Kisumi’s meddling.

"Kisumi!" All three boys turn their attention to the boy calling out as he runs through the automatic doors.

"That's him, my little brother." Kisumi turns to excuse himself. "See you guys soon! Bye, Makoto! Bye, Haru!"

They both offer him a small wave before Makoto turns to Haru. "Shall we go home, too?"

The rest of their walk home is more silent than usual. Makoto hums quietly to himself as he walks, and Haru is content to just listen.

"Hey, Haru." Makoto stops humming. "Are you still mad about that thing that happened in middle school?"

Haru just looks at him.

"So, yes?"

"Maybe." He bites back a sigh. "Makoto, it's not _fair_."

Makoto raises an eyebrow at that. "What's not fair?"

"In middle school, Kisumi was annoying, so I didn't pay attention to him. Kisumi isn't completely unfortunate looking anymore. And he's _taller_ than me," Haru whines, and Makoto can't help but laugh at the sulk on his face.

"He's not that much taller," Makoto supplies unhelpfully. "Nothing I say is going to make you like him, will it?"

"Right." Haru still harbors a theory that Kisumi did like Makoto. Once Haru had stepped in, Kisumi realized that stirring up drama was more fun, and started focusing his efforts on picking on Haru instead. At least, that's what Haru told himself so that his defensiveness back then was justified. He would feel too ashamed if Kisumi had realized his feelings even before he did. His alternate theory helps him sleep better at night.

They walk in silence again, but this time, it's Haru who suddenly speaks. "You know, I'm kind of glad that about everything that happened in middle school." 

"Why's that?" Makoto can't hide the genuine surprise from his face.

"I’m still annoyed by the whole thing, but…you and I wouldn’t be together if he didn’t try to manipulate the situation. You would have been too scared to say anything, and I wouldn’t have realized my own feelings,” said Haru, echoing his thoughts from earlier. “So…I wouldn’t have confessed. But I did, and we were together. That’s all that mattered, in the end. I guess I can’t be too mad about it.”

"I suppose that's true. And we're still together." Makoto squeezes his hand. "Though, something has changed between us."

"What has?" Haru stops walking, tugging Makoto's hand back. Makoto turns around to face him.

"I don't like you anymore." Haru almost rolls his eyes, because they've had this stupid conversation a million times, but even so, he secretly likes how much attention Makoto gives him. "I love you."

"I love you too, Makoto." He brings their hands up to his face to hide his developing smile and presses a kiss to Makoto's knuckles. "Come on. Let's go home."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew. We're done y'all! I probably should have added this in the beginning, but I prefer to think of this as a Haru-centric fic, and by that I mean that Kisumi was probably not really all that mean, but in his memories, Haru can only think of him as this vicious evil-doer because that's how he saw Kisumi. Hindsight is 20/20, but for Haru, the salt never ends. This is probably the least pretty thing I've ever written...as I'm still not 100% happy about it, I'm thinking I'll revisit this and rewrite the whole thing after I actually watch the movie. Or there's gonna be a sequel. Who knows? 
> 
> I kind of feel like crying, this is my first multi-chaptered fic and I'm SO DONE with it (it's not perfect but it's done, and sometimes that's the best that can happen, but like I said, I'm not 100% happy about it), but I'm also pretty proud because I've never completed a project like this before. Thanks for sticking with me! For those of you who were here since the beginning, I hope you enjoyed it. For those of you who are just joining us, I still hope you enjoyed it! As always, any thoughts, comments, mistakes that you caught are completely appreciated. Reach me at keepleaves.tumblr.com if you want to chat.


End file.
